Northeast — locals call it Nordeast — is the neighbourhood that absorbed wave after wave of Eastern European immigration in the early 20th century (Polish, Ukrainian, Czech, Slovak, Czech) and has since become the city's foremost arts and dining district. The combination of cheap warehouse space and the residual infrastructure of the old immigrant community — delicatessens, Eastern Orthodox churches, old bars — proved irresistible to artists and restaurant owners in the 2000s.
The stretch of Northeast along Central Avenue and the streets around 13th and 14th Avenue NE is the centre of gravity: breweries, galleries, and restaurants in converted industrial buildings, anchored by older establishments like Kramarczuk's Sausage Co. (operating since 1954). Grain Belt Brewery's restored tap room on Quincy Street NE is the neighbourhood landmark.